The NC Pre-K Program is designed to provide high-quality educational experiences to enhance school readiness for eligible four-year-old children. The NC Pre-K Program Requirements are built on the National Education Goals Panel’s premise that to be successful academically in school, children need to be prepared in all five of the developmental domains that are critical to children’s overall well-being and success in reading and math as they enter school:

Approaches to play and learning

Emotional and social development

Health and Physical Development

Language development and communication

Cognitive development

The NC Pre-K Program Requirements are designed to ensure that a high-quality pre-kindergarten classroom experience is provided for eligible four-year-old children in each local NC Pre-K Program and that, to the extent possible, uniformity exists across the state. Programs are also required to meet the NC Child Care Rules. North Carolina is one of four states with a Pre-K program that meets all 10 National Institute of Early Education Research Benchmarks (NIEER). Benchmarks include comprehensive Early Learning Standards; staff meet education/licensure requirements, professional development; 1:9 staff/child ratio; developmental screens and referral; evidence-based curriculum and formative assessments; monitoring and nutritional requirements.

Who do I contact for information about the NC Pre-K Program?

The NC Pre-K Program is administered by the NC Department of Health and Human Services under the Division of Child Development and Early Education, Early Education Unit.

The purpose of the 2012‐2013 NC Pre‐Kindergarten (NC Pre‐K) Evaluation study was to examine the quality of the program and the outcomes for children, along with comparisons to previous years. Since the inception of the statewide Pre‐K program in North Carolina in 2001–2002, the evaluation has been conducted by the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina‐Chapel Hill. See Table 1 for a list of previous reports for further information about prior years, including studies of classroom quality and longitudinal and comparison studies of children’s outcomes.